It's been a while, Alice
by LittleMermade
Summary: A dream- conversation between Alice and the Queen of Hearts. -OneShot Rated K , because... I felt like it xD Enjoy!


**It's been a while, Alice**

**This is a OneShot I wrote for a Secret Santa, I hope you like it. It turned out way more confusing than I wanted it to be ;)**

It's hard to catch some sleep. Every single time she closes her eyes, the images flash before her eyes. Her wonderland broken, dead- everything changed. Then there is the fire again, she hears Lizzie talking in her room.

She's so small, she cannot safe her sister, she only runs- sometimes she feels like she's still running, never to see her family again.

Alice's eyes snap open. She is shivering, her breathing too fast. Slowly the young woman climbs out of bed. She walks to the window and pulls back the curtains. Instantly the room is flooded with moonlight, a blue shimmer on the floor and the few pieces of furniture. The full moon looks like it is grinning at Alice, a lonely night bird singing it's little melody.

Alice lets out a deep sigh and turns. She starts walking toward the bed again, it's late and she needs to rest.

Burying her face in the pillow Alice closes her eyes again. An image of the fire flashes before her sight, then everything goes dark. The blackness isn't going away again. Alice turns- still nothing. Everything is silent.

„Hello?", Alice hesitantly speaks up. Maybe she isn't all alone here?

A soft voice echoes from behind: „You came here… after all this time."

„Who is this?", startled Alice turns around again.

Now Alice sees a girl. She is around as big as her and her dark brown curls fall on her shoulders. The girl chuckles lightly: „You don't remember me?"

She stepps out of the shadows and gave Alice a small smile.

Alice's eyes widen and she exhales audibly: „You… Li… Lizzie?"

The girl nods: „Yes, dear sister. It's been a while, but I was never really far away."

„What do you mean?", Alice doesn't dare to move, this couldn't be real. She was making up things again.

„You didn't want me to be forgotten, Alice… so you keep me save…", Lizzie steps closer and gently taps on Alice's chest once, „in here"

Alice swallows heavily and slowly takes a step back: „Why? …Why do you show up now? I am lost! They tell me I'm insane and I am starting to believe that- because of things like that!"

Lizzie's smile fades away: „No, li'l sister… don't ever believe what they tell you. If you fix your dreams, you will be perfectly fine."

„My dreams? You mean my wonderland?"

Lizzie nods again: „Of course, silly. Do you remember how beautiful it once was? Stop this war inside you, Alice."

Alice chews on her lower lip: „No matter how hard I try, I can't save my world. My wonderland is dead!"

Lizzie narrows her eyes: „No! You are strong, you are not one to give up and let it be!"

Despair is spreading inside Alice: „Don't you understand me? I can't! This is too… big!"

Now Lizzie's gaze is cold, her eyes like ice. Shivers run down Alice's back. „Don't you dare! Look what you did to me!", Lizzie screams at her sister, tears gathering in her eyes. Her simple black dress changes, her sleeves becoming puffed with red hearts. The rest of the dress changing from black to different reds and gold, only little black left, lots and lots of hearts forming on the skirt. One big heart adorning her chest, a high white collar is attached to the neck.

But the most terrible thing- her sister's hands change, they grow until they are thrice as big as usual, her skin looking like she put red paint all over it. Now Lizzie's hands look more like maulers.

A small crown of red and gold is now floating above her head and she's holding a scepter with a heart surrounded by thorns in her left hand.

Alice stumbles a few steps backwards: „Lizzie…"

Lizzie fixes her sister with her gaze: „No! I'm not Lizzie anymore! You've turned me into a monster!" „No! I'm so sorry! Please… Lizzie"

Lizzie raises her right hand and tries to hit her sister with her long fingers like a cat with its claws. Alice manages to duck right in time and runs out of Lizzie's reach. Panic-stricken she draws her knife: „Please! I don't wanna hurt you!"

Lizzie starts to laugh. She sounds like one of those kids from the madhouse- Alice thinks.

Again the red talons go down on Alice. Lizzie manages to scratch Alice's arm, leafing long bleeding marks. Her voice is frightening Alice, it is so different now: „It is your fault, Alice! I am dead because of you!"

Tears well in Alice's eyes: „I couldn't save you! Why can't you let it be?" She tightens her grip on the knife and attacks the monster with it.

Lizzie takes a few steps backwards, while Alice follows instantly and aims the knife at her again. This time she is faster than the monster and pierces the knife through Lizzie's stomach.

A blood-curdling scream echoed in Alice's ears, then everything went dark and Alice heard a kid's voice behind her: „Help me! You have to save me!"

Startled Alice turns around. A single beam of light comes out of the black nothingness iluminating a little girl, around eight years old. She is wearing the same dress as Lizzie before. When Alice looks at her she whines and starts crying, covering her eyes with her hands.

Alice just stares at her: „You… who are you?"

The girl doesn't answer the question, she just weeps harder and her hands slowly transform into giant red claws.

Alice lets out a silent scream. She drops the knife and flinches from the child.

Suddenly the girl focuses her big green eyes on Alice, her face so full of pain: „Make it stop! Make it go away!" Alice stumbles back helplessly: „How… how should I help you?"

„Don't let them takes your memories! Don't forget again what I once knew…", her eyes're so incredibly sad, that Alice nearly forgets to breathe. „You…", she stutters, „you are me…"

The girl gives her a small smile: „I am the Queen of Hearts…" Then she starts disappearing. Alice desperatly tries to grab her arm: „No! Don't go away! Tell me how to save them... how to save me!" But she only catches air.

Alice hears a little laugh in the distance. Puzzled she runs after it: „Don't leave me all alone!" Tears are running down her cheeks and soon runs out of oxygen. Exhausted she falls and closes her eyes.

The next thing she sees is the lonely, dark room. Unsecure she sits up in the bed, the marks on her arm are gone and so is the knife. The only thing that remains are the dry tears on her cheeks.


End file.
